Bebermeyer v. Bebermeyer’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

40 state decisions

Most-quoted passages

The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 40 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““In Schroeder the separation agreement referred to the payment of $25.00 a week to the wife as ‘permanent alimony, subject to the further Order of the Court,’ and the decree awarded the wife $25.00 a week ‘as alimony.’ We held that notwithstanding this language, the weekly payments were not alimony as there was no provision that the payments were to continue only during the joint lives of the parties.””

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Horsey v. Horsey · Bellofatto v. Bellofatto

2. “Although the trial court had no power to modify the decree of December 21, 1955 ... that court did have the power to interpret the meaning of that decree and of the agreement of September 28, 1955, ratified and confirmed by that decree. In our opinion, a reasonable interpretation of that agreement and of that decree was that one-third of the $65.00 to be paid every two weeks was for the support and maintenance of the wife and the remaining two-thirds was for the support and maintenance of the minor children.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 79 Md. App. 650 - Smith v. Smith

3. “"[P]ayments to a wife, even if referred to in a separation agreement or in a decree as ‘alimony’ will not be considered to be alimony unless they are payments to continue during the joint lives of both husband and wife and so long as the parties live separate and apart.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Janusz v. Gilliam